College Board Urged To Split SAT Sessions

The College Board says it will consider heeding calls from college-admissions counselors to give students the option of taking the three parts of the SAT separately, instead of at a single sitting.

Counselors at 200 high schools and some college-admissions officers last month signed a letter to the New York City-based College Board, which sponsors the entrance exam, expressing concern that the test’s length of three hours and 45 minutes has become a burden on students. The test, formerly in two parts, is now divided into portions assessing mathematics, critical reading, and writing.

A spokeswoman for the College Board said this was not the first time that a suggestion to split the test had been made. “We’ve been looking into the possibility over a period of time and will take into note suggestions made” by the college counselors, said Caren Scoropanos.

But she said the board needs to consider such factors as whether splitting the test would unfairly benefit wealthier students, who can afford to take the test more than once.

“The SAT has to be a consistent measure over time and over the years,” she said.